Slider restaurant slides Downtown

Downtown Binghamton is about to get crafty with a new restaurant set to open in the beginning of March.

Craft Bar and Kitchen, from the partners behind Social on State, will be the new face of 135 Washington St., right next to Strange Brew.

“We’re excited to get the restaurant open,” said Jay Pisculli, the head chef at Social at State. “We have been working on it for a while so now we are ready to get it going and show people what we can do.”

Craft looks to bring a trendy, contemporary vibe to the city and contribute to the revival of Downtown Binghamton. Craft is one of several new restaurants that have opened or will open soon Downtown. The owners of The Colonial also announced on Feb. 6 that they will be opening a new Mexican restaurant, Dos Rios Cantina, in the coming weeks.

One day when Pisculli was cooking at Social on State, one of his business partners, co-owner Adam Tuttle, came up to the the chef’s window and told him about a new concept for a restaurant that focuses on craft beers, craft sandwiches and cocktails.

“I have always wanted to name a restaurant Craft, and it played into the handcrafted idea and the fact we’ll have 24 craft beer lines,” Pisculli said.

Everything from the menu items to the decor has been hand-selected, according to Pisculli.

“We designed the tables ourselves, they’re unique and will be handmade,” he said. “Everything has our touch on it.”

Pisculli said they plan to offer bar staples like loaded fries, tater tots and slider sandwiches.

“The idea of the sliders is so you don’t have to be committed to one burger,” Pisculli said. “You can try one of the small burgers and one of the tuna sliders for all under $10. You can mix and match and create more of your own thing.”

He said they’re also working to develop healthier vegetarian options, like customizable chopped salads.

The team at Craft, according to Pisculli, is looking at the menu as an opportunity to develop new kinds of recipes, since Social on State turned out to be more like a bar and less like the cocktail lounge it was planned to be.

There will be a full bar consisting of wine, hand-crafted cocktails and two dozen craft beers. They also plan on serving a special drink that will “set them apart from every other restaurant in Downtown [Binghamton],” Pisculli said. The special drink will be revealed when they open.

Craft will be open seven days a week, Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. On Sundays, they also plan to serve brunch. Pisculli said they’re hoping to cater not only to college students looking for a party atmosphere, but also to people who are going out for lunch in the middle of a work day.